Class-action lawsuit against Honeywell expands, more people sign up

METROPOLIS, IL – Contamination, property damage, and medical problems: lawyers representing a class-action lawsuit claim Honeywell Corporation Inc. in Metropolis, Illinois, did all that and more to hundreds of people.

A trial date has been set for February 17, 2020. More people are claiming damages months after the lawsuit was filed. Lawyers for the plaintiffs say they have more than 500 people signed up for the suit.

The stories that are being told about this plant seem like science fiction.

Town hall meeting about lawsuit

“The first year we were there, they came and knocked on our door. It was December at like 1 o’clock in the morning,” Lynn Chrisman said. She and her husband live down the road from the plant. “They had told us there had been a release; for us to turn off our air conditioning, our heating, our HVAC; not to open any windows; not to go outside.”

Her husband has lived near the plant all his life. Chrisman has since 2003. She says they would see plumes of gas above the plant.

“It would burn your lungs, burn your throat,” she described. It’s odd, but many more people say they went through the same thing.

Lynn Chrisman

About 50 people showed up at the town hall. Most of them are wanting to learn about the lawsuit and still trying to decide if they should put their name down.

The lawsuit against Honeywell talks about contamination of the land. The lawyers for the plaintiffs are now looking into contamination that led to cancer.

“The real problem with radiation on your property is the health risks,” said Kevin Thompson, one of the lawyers with the class-action lawsuit. “As we go to more and more homes, and do more and more tests, and talk to more and more people, we see homes with multiple cancers in them.”

“When you start to have health issues, you start to wonder…animals start having health issues. You know, you really start to wonder,” Chrisman said.

Honeywell stopped production in December 2017. They produce uranium hexafluoride, a compound used in nuclear power plants and weapons.

The discovery process starts for the case now. Lawyers with the plaintiff’s say they should be getting documents from Honeywell within the next few months.

A Honeywell spokesperson sent this statement on the lawsuit.

“Honeywell is committed to the safety of our facilities and the communities in which they reside. The Metropolis plant is highly regulated by both the NRC and the EPA. Honeywell has filed a motion to dismiss the complaint under the Price Anderson Act, which governs nuclear facilities. That motion is currently pending before the Court. We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.”